I was scouring the blogosphere last week after getting some recommended posts via re-tweets. Of the three I read, all had different definitions of engagement in social media. In our ever changing world, we’ve had to define and re-define certain aspects of PR and marketing. I would think we’d have engagement pretty well narrowed down by now.

However, I don’t think having a solid definition of engagement is a real issue. Why? Because we all talk about engagement in certain ways. Some see that re-tweet that directed me to a blog as the ultimate form of engagement, while others believe that it is responding to a post on Facebook. And if you got into an argument, both of these answers COULD be correct.

How I see engagement is probably a bit different than you. Am I right or are you right?

Here is how I go about defining engagement-

1) Listening to your client(s) – What are they looking for? What do they want to achieve?
2) Understanding the audience – Who are your followers and what are they saying already?
3) Give them something to talk about – You can’t just sit back and watch. Get your “brand champions” energized.
4) Provide a service – Your fans or followers want to listen. Make sure to provide value and build trust.
5) Make the content great – You want to make sure they continue to come back. If the content is compelling, you’ll have champions in no time.

A five-step definition may not be simple, but it is effective. That is what all our clients, supporters, and bosses would like.